Burning Sky
by Phoenix Oblivion
Summary: The past is a delicate thing: events that have already taken place should never be altered. Otherwise, the effects on the future can be catastrophic... it would've been better if Jack- a human suddenly fired int the Warriors world- knew that before he changed the course of history. Now, Jack is faced with an immeasurable challenge: set things right, before all hell breaks lose.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: New story guys. :D**

**And yeah, just before the first chapter, this is really borderline T. There's quite a lot of coarse language and in future, I think there may be a few sex references and stuff: also, there ****will obviously be violence because it's warriors. You have been warned.**

* * *

><p><strong>Burning Sky<strong>

**Chapter One:**

I stared forward monotonously at the front of the classroom. My teacher, Mr Harris, stood with his back to me, brandishing a white board pen dramatically in the air, while he desperately tried to make the my least favourite subject (namely history) interesting. It was a habit of this teacher to do stupid hand gestures while trying to explain shit, like how the Normans invaded Britain, and how Napoleon took over China- I _think _it was China anyway. As you've probably guessed, I don't give the teacher that hates me much attention, when I could be using it for much more important things.

Chatting, for instance.

I turned my head to look at my friend. His name was Dominic, but I called him Dom because quite frankly, I was too lazy to pronounce his full name. He was Hispanic, with dark brown eyes and messy black hair that fell lazily in a quiff over his forehead. As it happened, _he _had a stupid habit that was equally annoying as that of Mr Harris; even so, we were friends anyway. The said quirk of his was to chew his pencil, which he was doing now.

When he saw me, he took the well chewed pencil out his mouth and smiled broadly. 'Hey Jack,' he whispered, nodding to the front of the classroom. I followed his gaze to see that he was pointing towards a piece of graffiti on the board just above Mr Harris' head. I hadn't noticed it before, but I smirked. It said, "Read me!" And upon looking underneath it, you realised it said, "Anyone who read this is on crack.'

Dom had always been a little bit childish: whereas I had tactfully just smirked instead of laughed, Dom's giggle echoed through the classroom, alerting Mr Harris. He spun around and glared daggers towards me and Dom. He didn't need any briefing on who had made the giggle. After all, we were always the source of any distraction in_ any_ class we were in.

'Jack,' he snapped. He looked on in annoyance through his rounded spectacles. 'What's so funny that you just had to disturb my class?'

'Wasn't me sir.' I said smoothly, with an aura of confidence. To be fair, I was actually telling the truth, even if it meant selling out my friend. Dom was shaking his head, signalling the clear message of don'ttellhimori'llgetadetention, from behind.

'Really?' Mr Harris retorted. 'Then would you like to tell me who did laugh?'

Okay, maybe I'm no the kindest person in the world, but I'd rather it was my friend in detention than me. I turned around and made an apologetic face towards Dom, who groaned. 'It was Dom sir.'

Mr Harris diverted his evil stare away from me and towards Dom. 'Is this true?' He asked.

'Yeah,' Dom replied, hotly, before raising a big accusing finger in my direction. 'But- but he was the one who showed me something funny that I had to laugh at! I tried not to.'

Now _that _was a complete lie! He was the one that showed me the graffiti! Mr Harris turned back to me, and I was about to speak, when all of a sudden, the teacher interrupted me. 'Would you like to tell me what you said to him?' He asked me, just as coldly.

'I didn't say him anything.' I said, with teeth gritted in anger, before pointing towards the crack joke above his board. 'Dom just pointed out that thing above your white board.'

* * *

><p>And that was how both of us ended up in after school detention.<p>

Admittedly, me and Dom were no strangers to the concept of after school detention, but either way, this particular one was really harsh on us. I didn't physically do anything wrong, but of course, Mr Harris was convinced that I had written the graffiti, so he'd dumped us both in the pot. And it was all thanks to Dom. If he hadn't caved in, _I _wouldn't be in this detention!

We sat with our hands on our laps, lazily strewn over our chosen chairs. The teacher on detention duty, Mrs Brown, had ensured we were a good distance away from each other so that we couldn't speak. She sat in the teacher's desk, typing away on her computer, and I sat with a book in my hand-

Yeah, a book. I know you're surprised that such a bad kid like me would ever touch a book, but it's not like I ever let anyone know about the fact that I actually do read. When we came in, Mrs Brown told us we were allowed to read or doodle if we wanted, and besides it's not like I read obsessively. I only read one series of books.

The books are called the Warriors series by the Erin Hunters, and personally, I'm a _massive _fan of them. I've written so much fan mail to the authors that I think their mailbox must be overflowing by now, but like I said, no one knows, and no one needs to know that I'm in love with a series of books about cats that live in Clans and fight each other.

My favourite character is this she-cat (Clan terminology for female) called Cinderpelt. Her story is really sad; she's a cripple who got hit by a car because of a trap set by the the main protagonist. She wanted to become a warrior, but her leg was too injured, so she had to become a medicine cat.

In the detention, I was reading The Forgotten Warrior, which is the fifth book in the Omen of the Stars arc. Hollyleaf had just come back and I was so excited for the Last Hope that I thought I was going to die.

Suddenly, there was a noise from the other side of the room. I looked up to see Dom pointing at the book and grinning with silent laughter. Quickly, I snapped it shut. He was the only one who knew I read the Warriors books, but he didn't tell anyone because as it happened, a I knew a few secrets of his as well.

Dom looked over to see whether Mrs Brown was looking; she wasn't. He quickly picked up a piece of paper, scribbled on it, scrunched it up into a ball and then rolled it across the floor of the classroom over to me. I glanced over at Mrs Brown's desk once more, before picking it up and opening it to see what it read.

It read, _It never stops to amaze me how you can be interested in such a babyish book. _

My fists instinctively clenched together, and if I really was a cat, I'd be emitting a long, low growl at this point. I took out a pencil and wrote down my answer, before rolling it back across the floor to Dom. He picked up it up and read it, smirking, but then his cheeks began to burn a bright red colour.

My reply was, _It never stops to amaze ME how you can be interested in such a slut._

And that was how I managed to keep Dom quite all this time. I guess I could have worded the reply a little kinder, but I was angry and I wanted to put him in his place. Dom fancied this girl called Lucy, who was to say the least of low intelligence. She was quite pretty, but it wasn't my fault if she was a slut. I mean, she was! I couldn't help it.

In the end, I guess it profited us equally. Neither of our secrets got found out, and I wasn't about to change that.

Suddenly, I was surprised by the ringing of an alarm clock. It took me a few sends to realise what it was, before I sighed in relief and leaned back in my chair. Mrs Brown always brought an alarm clock to tell her when the end of the detention was.

Mrs Brown didn't look up- she just nodded and pointed towards the door.

Me and Dom got up quickly, collected all our bags and dashed through it and into the corridor. It was practically deserted except for a few people sitting against the walls, looking lost. Most of them were younger years- Year 7 and such. Me and Dom were Year 9 at that point, and we knew our way around the school well.

We walked together in silence towards the exit of the school. We didn't want to talk about what had just taken place, but I certainly wasn't going to be the one who broke the quiet first. Dom allowed himself a sidewards glance towards me, but I kept my cold, icy glare straight at the floor.

Together, we reached the school reception and strode out onto the concrete of the school car park. Sunset was well under way, and I guessed my mother would be proper angry about the fact that I was back home late from a detention again. My eyes narrowed and I shook my head. _I don't care about that, _I told myself ferociously, _she's just a stupid old woman who sits around feeling sorry for herself all day and preening over Sally._

Sally was my kid sister. She was four years younger than me, and hadn't finished her primary education yet: she had extremely blonde hair, almost on the verge of white, and it ran down in silky waves all the way down to her shoulders. I was no idiot. I knew that Sally was going to become beautiful when she grew up, whereas I could hardly say the same about me. My greasy brown hair was always a mess, and I liked it that way. Sometimes, I made it especially untidy just to frustrate mum. But Sally? Oh no. Mummy's perfect girl to the max. Always making sure her homework was done on time; never late for school. She did whatever mum wanted her to do, and seemed to take pride in driving me round the bend.

It had been like that ever since dad left.

'Hey Jack?' Dom said, a little hesitantly. I didn't look up to address him, but he carried on anyway. 'You won't tell anyone about Lucy will you?'

I clicked my knuckles before looking up at him, a sharp look in my eyes. 'We've been through this Dom.' I replied, sustaining my cold demeanour. 'As long as you don't mention the… the books, I don't mention Sally. Alright?'

He agreed, before his eyes widened and for the first time since we'd left the school, his trademark smile appeared. 'Oh by the way, I forgot!' He opened up his camo green school bag, reached inside ad removed a ten pound note.

I looked at it in interest. 'Where'd you get that?'

'Stole it off this Year 8 girl,' he said, before waving it teasingly in front of my face. 'It was a laugh! She dropped all her books, and this fell out of her pocket. No one was watching so I just grabbed it and took off.'

'Nice!' I echoed, and before Dom could react, I snatched it out of his hand and stuffed it into my pocket. 'Very nice indeed.'

'Hey?' Dom said, angrily. 'Gimme that back!'

'Make me.'

All Dom did was stare, and I smirked back (my own little trademark). My friend had learnt through bitter experience that I was easily the strongest and the fittest out of the two of us. Situations like this happened all the time, but they rarely escalated to fights.

However, this time, I had to admit, Dom really did look like he was on the verge of snapping. Obviously, the way I'd sold him out to Mr Harris earlier had gotten under his skin, and now me stealing his stolen money was just pushing him over the edge. 'Give it back now, you fucking bastard.' He snarled.

I could've tried to defuse what was going on that moment. I could've just been respectful towards my friend and given him back the money… but then again, the money would've been useful. Added on with the cash I already had, it was just about enough to get the new X-Box game I'd been wanting for ages.

So naturally I decided not to.

Dom knew me well enough to see that I wasn't going to give him the tenner back. His face was contorted with rage, and he looked like he was about to explode. I thought for a second that he would take a pop at me, but instead, he start inhaling and exhaling heavily. 'Look,' he said, attempting to remain calm. 'Look- Jack, please give me the money. I promise I'll pay you back at a later date.'

I ignored him and carried on walking, before just realising we had actually reached Dom's street. He lived on the other side of town to me, and I still had quite a large amount of ground to cover before I got home. 'I believe this is where we part.' I stated, in a mock posh accent. 'See you tomorrow.'

Dom didn't say anything, before he huffed and crossed the road onto the opposite side of the pavement, clearly giving up on the cash. 'I'll get that back from you, Jack!' He shouted from the other side of the road. 'Don't forget it!'

_This sounds like the script of an Eastenders episode, _I thought, throughly amused. 'I will get my revenge!' I said, mimicking Dom's tone, before looking up at the sky. It was a deep pink colour, a sharp contrast to the jet-black clouds splattered over it. Dusk would soon be casting it's foreboding shadows on the town, especially since it was nearly winter. Sometimes, I ended walking up to my house in complete darkness those days.

Shrugging off what Dom had said, I continued walking, turning the note over and over again in my pocket. I liked the feeling of money; it made me feel like I was in possession something. Something more important than an object. It's hard to explain, but sometimes, I just felt… lost.

After about a hundred yards, I reached a country stile that led into the park. To be honest, it wasn't much of a park. Most of it was just covered in thick, dense woodland, but it was a short cut all the same. I didn't always take this route back to my house, but today I felt like doing so. Call it destiny.

I jumped over the stile and into the park. There was a small, winding dirt path that led through the expanse of trees and back into the suburban cul-de-sacs on the other side, and I started walking once more. The twisted branches of the conifers reached upwards and upwards and upwards, shrouding whatever remaining light was being cast on the world. It set the scene for something deadly and malevolent. Something mysterious.

I allowed my mind to wonder as I carried on. Almost instantaneously, I discovered myself on the subject of Warriors. I couldn't wait to get back to my house and finish the Forgotten Warrior. Then I'd be able to start reading The Last Hope! I managed to prevent myself from reading any spoilers about the last book in the Omen of the Stars, like I had for the sixth book in The New Prophecy, but I already had tonnes of predictions. I was certain Cinderpelt would make some kind of special appearance in StarClan, even though she had been reincarnated into Cinderheart, and I had an inkling feeling at the back of my mind that this would be Firestar's last battle.

And it was then that my life changed forever.

I heard a noise. I couldn't identify what it was: somewhere in-between the sound of an aeroplane, and a helicopter, except much more quiet. Like whatever was making the noise was spiralling just above the ground. I turned my head to look around the surrounding undergrowth. 'Is anyone there?' I called out gruffly. 'Dom?'

Then I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Quickly, I spun around, and discovered the source of the noise. It was a disturbance beside one of the shrubs. Something was glowing a bright blue colour, and then right in front of my eyes, it transformed to red. And then green. And then pink! A hue of thousands of different colours splashed together in one giant palette.

I blinked in confusion. What was going on? Was it alive? What was it? The questions spread through my brain like wild fire. As far as I knew, you were only supposed to see colours like this when you were high, and I definitely wasn't. So what the-

Curiosity replaced my previous confusion, and when it comes to cats, you know what they say about curiosity. I took a hesitant step towards the bush. The colours only seemed to glow brighter. I tilted my head to one side, unsure of what to do, but eventually I decided to continue my approach.

Now, I was only inches away from the shrub. The colours were no longer changing. It now remained a deep scarlet. The same colour as blood.

_Well here goes nothing, _I thought, before pulling the bush away and looking to see what it was.

The only thing I can remember about what happened next was a strange feeling. Like I was flying.

Either that, or I was falling into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Wow! Real quick update. :)**

**Anyways thanks for your reviews. Haven't really got anything to say about this chap, except for th fact it was really fun to ****write. Enjoy. XD**

* * *

><p><strong>Burning Sky<strong>

**Chapter Two:**

Light burnt down from the sky and onto the grass. I could feel the sun's heat on my face, and my whole body ached like I'd just run through a patch of stinging nettles backwards. Slowly, my eyes fluttered open: it was around midday. There was a loud crashing noise in the distance, and I identified it as the sound of rushing water.

I felt tired, but it wasn't the same kind you felt when you'd just woken up. My whole body screamed with physical exhaustion; every time I attempted to move my muscles refused to budge.

I groaned, and finally forced myself to roll over onto my side. _What happened?_ I thought, groggily. I couldn't remember anything. My mind had gone completely blank. All I could recall was being in the park, and then-

The park! Suddenly, it all came back to me. The fight with Dom, taking the shortcut, and the strange flashing lights I'd seen behind the bush. I still had no idea what had taken place, let alone where I was now, and for one thing, I certainly didn't remember the park looking like this.

I was lying on a bed of frosty green grass. The light of the sun had melted most of the ice that seemed to have magically appeared over night, but I could tell that I was no longer in the park. The trees surrounding me were much taller, and the undergrowth considerably more thick and dense. How the hell I'd managed to move from where I was originally remained a mystery.

I shifted myself up into a sitting position and looked up at the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, but for some reason, I got the sense that I was being... watched. Not by anything alive, but by some divine entity, that was silently laughing at me from above, because I was missing something glaringly obvious.

I shook my head, frustrated about my apparent predicament and then looked down at my feet.

Or should I say, paws?

To my horror, I saw that instead of skin, my whole body was clad in thick, jet-black fur! It covered everything, all the way up to my face, and upon flexing my paws I found that some sharp, pointed claws appeared. My breathing levels increased. Panic flowed freely through my body. _What the fuck!?_ I thought.

I jumped up and looked over my back, discovering I could turn my head nearly all the way round. A bushy, almost spiky tail, writhed around on the floor like an angered snake. My eyes widened to the size of moons, before finally becoming to rest on a muddy puddle beside a tree. Without thinking, I dashed over to it in order to look at my reflection.

I had been completely transformed into a cat.

For a moment I didn't know what to do. I couldn't get the image of the cat that stared back at me out of my head. My black fur was darker than night, and my cold, icy blue eyes sent shivers down even my own spine! I had a lithe but muscular frame, that somehow managed to reflect my own human build, and as soon as the realisation of what had happened kicked in, I felt an irrational sense of calmness.

That didn't mean I was devoid of questions.

But before I had time to even consider the possibilities of what could have done this, I heard a loud, screeching cry echo through the air.

I instinctively froze. The scream set my teeth on edge: it was one of fear, fury and guilt all packed into one. It was coming from the same direction that I heard the rushing water from earlier.

And then the cry was followed by another. An another. Until they all joined together into a caterwaul of ferocious rage. For some reason, the shouts seemed to provoke an odd feeling inside me. One of sadness, but also, a strange kind of joy. I felt something pull me towards the cries; without even knowing what was going on, I was gripped with an unanswered certainty that a cat was in trouble.

And I was determined to help.

It was madness to run straight towards the noises. After all, it could have been dangerous. I could have been killed. But then again, I always had a habit of getting myself into trouble as a human, and without knowing it, I was getting myself into a big hole of it now.

As I neared the source, the violent screams only grew intensity and volume until I was sure that whatever was going on, it had to be some kind of fight. At first, it felt unnatural to be moving around as a cat, but soon, I built up a kind of rhythm. Back paws forward, front paws back. Back paws forward, front paws back.

Finally, the forest broke away from me, until I reached a clearing beside a huge, exceedingly loud gorge. A waterfall crashed down the cliff face, spilling white foam up into the atmosphere. I looked around wildly, searching for the fight that I was certain I would find.

And sure enough, I found it.

The battle was so ferocious that I was sure I could see a thin layer of blood staining the grass. Cats rolled around, biting and snarling and scratching. Some were dangerously close to the edge: I knew that this would only end in someone falling over the precipice and into the gorge.

I had no idea who was fighting who and what was had caused so many felines to get involved, but I couldn't shake off the strange feeling that this scene felt strangely familiar, like I was experiencing a bizarrely real bout of déjà vu.

Suddenly, there was a scream that rose higher and louder above the other cries of the battle. I looked on to see a small, light ginger she-cat with emerald green eyes being held down by a big brawny tom cat. She was clearly struggling, but she fought on bravely. I admired her courage for taking on a cat that had to be twice her size, but I also knew she was fighting a lost cause. He was beating her out of sheer strength and power.

But I could also see he had no intention of letting her go. He was pushing the female further and further back, until she was backed up against the edge of the gorge, with nowhere to go. Even from a distance, I could see the worry flash in her eyes. And the intent in her enemy's.

The cat needed help, and even though she was a cat who I didn't even know, I wasn't just about to let her die.

Quickly, I dashed forward with a burst of pace towards the tom, fuelled by my own fear and confusion about my own situation. As I closed in on them, she noticed my approach, and her eyes widened with relief that a cat was coming to her rescue.

And without knowing exactly what I was going to do, or how I was going to defend myself, I bowled straight into the tomcat, allowing the female to crawl away. He hissed in fury, and took a swipe at my head, but I used the momentum of my attack against him. We rolled over away from the edge, and even though I had the upper hand I knew his size would soon begin to dominate me like it had the other cat. I had to finish him off quickly.

I had him pinned down, but he was fighting back ferociously with strange movements I didn't really know how to stop, and I was beginning to tire. He had more stamina, and soon he broke through my defence, unleashing a powerful blow to my face. Blood flowed freely from my cheek like a fountain, and out of sheer instinct I tried something that only a human would do.

I punched him in the face.

It was a strange thing to attempt, considering we were cats, and it felt strange just using my paw (when I had a perfectly good set of claws to hurt him with) but miraculously, it seemed to work! The tom wasn't expecting it at all, and recoiled in shock, but the punch hadn't wounded him. He was merely dazed.

Quickly, I stretched forward and kicked him right where it hurt, which, again, he probably hadn't been expecting. After all, the attack was so _human_, but it worked equally well. The tom doubled up in pain and groaned agonisingly; I knew I had won the scuffle.

Suddenly, a huge weight came crashing down on my head. I saw stars enter my vision, and I turned around to see a cat standing over me, both shocked and... thankful?

And then everything faded into black.

* * *

><p>'Who is he?'<p>

'Where did he come from?'

'Did he hurt you?'

'No, he saved my life!'

Strange voices echoed in my eardrums as I started to regain consciousness. There was heavy feeling in my skull, followed by stinging pain. Whoever had knocked me out must've hit me pretty hard.

I blinked, before allowing light to flood back into my gaze. I hissed when I realised it was the second time I'd been unconscious today, but whatever frown I had was quickly wiped off my face when I saw what I was confronted by.

_Oh shit._

Standing above me were about six cats. They smelt strongly of ferns and bracken- the kind of smells you associated with the forest in the middle of spring. There was nothing welcoming about the way they were looking at me though- most of them were clearly apprehensive, but most of all I disliked the hostile look the largest of the six was giving me. He was bigger than the tom I'd fought. A lot bigger, and apparently had some kind of deforming claw disease. They were huge! One of his fore claws was the size of a small knife. I shivered.

But I did recognise one of the cats. It was the small ginger female that I'd helped earlier; she was the only one who didn't look like she wanted to kill me. Instead, her eyes held a look of bewilderment.

Hesitantly, I tried to pull myself up, only to fight a strong weight pushing down on my shoulder. I glanced upwards to see another ginger cat. He was larger than the female, but was clearly younger. Either way, I would have preferred to fight the girl.

'Is he RiverClan?' A careful voice asked (or should I say meowed?). It came from a gray tabby with amber eyes that was standing beside my captor. I tilted my head to one-side. Once again, I was struck by the thought that these cats seemed familiar.

Mr-deformed-claws answered him. 'Of course he's not RiverClan, you mousebrain.' He spat, in a deep, gravelly voice. 'Use your nose. He's clearly a loner.'

'Why did you help our apprentice?' The ginger cat said. I looked round, and realising he was actually addressing me this time.

'Oh I dunno, maybe because she was about to die?' I said sarcastically, in my usual cold tone. All six of them seemed surprised by my aggressiveness. 'Now are you going to get the fuck off me, or I going to have to get you off myself?'

'Watch your tongue loner.' The sixth cat retorted angrily, this time a she-cat.

'Make me,' I grumbled under my breath, before shoving the ginger's paw off my shoulder and dusting myself off. He growled, but I ignored him-

Wait a second.

Did they say- did they just say, _RiverClan?_

And then the realisation struck me. These cats looked exactly characters from the Warriors series! The ginger one was Fireheart, the grey one was Greystripe, the one I'd helped was Sandstorm, or soon to be Sandstorm anyway, and the other two were Tigerclaw and Willowpelt.

For a moment I was absolutely speechless. After all, surely this wasn't possible. The whole thing was completely ridiculous! First of all, waking up as a cat, secondly, meeting the _fictional_ characters from my favourite books? My mind just refused to accept that it could possibly be real. It's a dream, I thought, it must be a dream.

But I didn't have anytime to ponder on the thought, because the cat I now knew to be Tigerclaw was questioning me again. 'What's your name?' He said, slowly and threateningly. His claws flashed in the bright sunlight.

'Why should I tell you?' I asked.

Tigerclaw gritted his teeth. 'Are you sure you'd escape alive if you tried to take on six cats?' He paused to let his words sink in. 'I'll as you again: what's your name?'

I opened my mouth, and was just about to tell him that my name was Jack, before hesitating for a moment. Even though they couldn't be real, I didn't want to tell them my human name. They'd think I was a kittypet, and since they seemed to have decided on the fact that I was a loner, I'd need to give them a loner-ish sounding name.

So I said the first one that came into my head. 'Rook,' I replied, stiffly.

Rook was the name of the first ever Warriors character I created. Strangely enough, he had a similar appearance to what I looked like now, as well as an icy voice, which I'd based upon my own. Even though it was a lie, I knew that I would remember the name and was used to saying it, so much so that it seemed to persuade Tigerclaw that I had in fact told him the truth.

Tigerclaw looked prepared to speak again, but this time, I cut in. 'Who knocked me out?' I asked, bluntly.

'I did.' I turned around to see that it was Fireheart speaking. For a moment, I wondered if I should have spoken a little bit more politely to the cat that would be the saviour of the Clans. 'I wasn't just about to let you escape without finding out why you decided to help us.'

'I didn't help you!' I snapped, before getting back up to my paws. Instantaneously, the other patrol members closed in, sending me an unspoken warning. 'I had no intention of helping you.'

'You saved Sandpaw's life!'

'Only because you weren't doing a very good job of it yourself.' I said.

This time, Fireheart stayed quiet. As a matter of fact, so did the rest of the cats.

Encouraged by the fact they had no answer to this, I pressed on. 'Besides, like I said earlier, I wasn't just going to let an innocent cat die.'

For just a moment, I was thrown back into the past. I recalled the screaming and shouting of the night dad left.

'No one deserves to die.' I whispered, sullenly.

Silence.

Suddenly, I was shot back into the present, and became aware of the other cats once more. Annoyed at myself for showing emotion, I shook myself angrily and turned away. 'Now if you'll excuse me,' I said, abruptly, 'I'd appreciate it if you let me go now.'

I moved forward to leave the circe of cats surrounding me, but quickly, Greystripe moved forward to block my path. I hissed at him, but he unsheathed his claws, warning me off.

'Stop.' Tigerclaw's commanding voice echoed, and he moved inbetween me and Greystripe, pushing us apart. 'No Greystripe,' he said, surprisingly calmly. 'Let him go.'

I looked at Tigerclaw in surprise, as did the rest of the patrol. 'But Tigerclaw,' Willowpelt exclaimed, 'we should take him to Bluestar! He's an intrud-'

'No need.' Tigerclaw dismissed the idea confidently. 'He's an intruder, yes, and he will leave our territory now.' He gave me a hard stare on this one, as if to say, _or else. _'But apart from that, he can go.'

I couldn't help feeling suspicious. This was not the kind of Tigerclaw that was described in the books- he was always itching for a fight, and desperate to attack intruders, and he most certainly wasn't one to let a loner go. Yet here he was, doing just that.

More evidence that this is a dream, I thought, almost gleefully. Dreams are usually unconnected, and they don't make sense. Tigerclaw would never let me go if this was real.

Even so, I wasn't going to allow him to think twice about it. Quickly, I padded through the gap Tigerclaw had created and away into the forest. On the way through, my eyes connected for the first time with those of Sandpaw. I wondered if she would thank me, but she didn't. All she did was look away, as if embarrassed.

_Ungrateful bitch_, I thought, before slipping away into the bushes.

But as soon as they disappeared from sight, and I was certain they wouldn't be able to hear me, I stopped walking and sat down, finally allowing myself to rest. My head still hurt from when I'd been knocked unconscious. I reached forward with my paw and pressed it against the side of my head: it was slightly bloody.

_I can't believe that I just had a conversation with Fireheart!_ I thought._ And Tigerclaw, and Greystripe, and Sandpaw!_ I had never dreamed about something like this before.

I sighed, mostly out of accpetance than anything.

I couldn't keep telling myself that this was a dream. It was stupid, trying to convince myself something was fake when it was undoubtedly real. I didn't want to accept it- no one would. How would you react if you woke one morning and found out that you'd been transformed into a cat, and then you suddenly found yourself meeting characters from your favourite books? You'd think it wasn't real as well.

And yet here I was.

The first thing that crossed my mind was a thought about home. About my mom, as much as I disliked her, and even about Sally! Did they care that I was gone? Did they even know I was gone? Did they still think that I was coming home?

What if they thought I was dead?

My head hurt from all the painful questions, so I tried to ignore them, but they just kept ringing at the back of my mind. After awhile, I decided to try and get some sleep. Mull it over, and then concentrate on the bigger things in the morning. I was hungry as well. Desperately hungry. How was I going to survive as a cat?

All the exhaustion and excitement was beginning to catch up with me. I curled up into a ball, using my fur for insulation, and fell asleep felling lost abandoned and alone.

And with the thought that I was falling asleep no longer as a human, but as a cat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: O_O I know! Even I'm surprised at how amazingly quickly I'm updating.**

**But it glad about it as well. It's been ages since I've had so much motivation to write a story, and thanks a lot for your reviews! They are always appreciated. :)**

**And BTW, Rook/Jack has actually already changed the course of history like in the summary. You can have a virtual trophy if you can tell me how he did! Think carefully about the battle at the gorge. XD**

**Onto the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Burning Sky<strong>

**Chapter Three:**

The next day, it began to rain early in the morning. Water poured down from the sky relentlessly for hours: it soaked up into my fur, leaving me feeling soggy and wet, but mostly, thoroughly miserable. There was no shelter from it either- the best I could find was underneath the branches of an oak tree. It shielded the majority of the rain, but the droplets that found their way through the gaps and onto my fur were extremely unwelcome.

But the bad weather had given me time to consider all of my options. First, I'd taken a look around ThunderClan territory, purely out of curiosity. From what I could remember of the old forest map, I'd identified where the Twolegplace was, and I'd also found Sunningrocks. None of ThunderClan's patrols had found me as of yet. The rain was on my side in the sense that it was effectively washing away my scent.

But not only that, I'd also given a lot of thought towards what I was going to do next. Since I was apparently stuck as a cat, I was going to have to find a way to survive in this world. I couldn't be a rogue or a loner. I had no idea whatsoever how to hunt and catch myself food.

And so that had left me with one possibility.

Try and join ThunderClan.

I was still trying to get my head around the fact that somehow, I was actually living in the world of the Clans when I realised that joining the place of all my fictional heroes was what I was going to have to do in order to live. It was slightly overwhelming at first, but then again, every thing about my situation was pretty overwhelming. How bad could it be?

Besides, there would be some upsides. I'd get to meet all of the ThunderClan cats! Bluestar, Whitestorm, Longtail, Darkstripe... Cinderpelt.

Strangely, the idea of meeting Cinderpelt was actually what worried me the most. I was such a big fan of the little grey medicine cat, that it would almost be like living in the same house with a celebrity. Not only that, but I worked out what book the cats I had talked to yesterday were in. It was around the beginning of Fire and Ice, so that meant that she wasn't injured yet, and I would have to experience all the pain that Cinderpelt went through all over again. But this time, I wasn't reading a book. This time, it would be all too real.

I breathed in deeply, and looked up at the sky. I had also spared a thought about StarClan as well. Whenever I looked up at the stars, I had always wondered whether they existed, and now that I was in the world of Warriors, presumably, they did.

But for some reason, I doubted it.

Later on that day, the rain started to cease, until it had all but stopped completely. I didn't have enough strength to feel relieved. The only emotion I felt was anxiety. _Will ThunderClan accept me? _

_Well, here goes nothing._

I didn't exactly know the way to the ThunderClan camp, but considering the layout of the territory that I'd figured out so far, I could make an accurate prediction. I knew what I was looking for, anyway. They talked about climbing a ravine to get out of the camp in the first series, I thought. How many ravines can there be in this forest?

I'd also guessed that it wouldn't be a good idea to just waltz into the camp uninvited. I decided to try and get as close to the camp as possible and then just wait for a patrol. That would work best; if I was lucky, a cat that was on one of the patrols yesterday would recognise me and tell the other members I was... mostly harmless.

The sun came out once more shortly after the rain stopped, forming a rainbow high up in the sky. Not only that, the sun had dried most of the mud, but I was too on edge to appreciate it. I had a feeling niggling away inside me that I was drawing closer and closer to something massive. Once again, I call it destiny.

It was clear to see the trees and bushes around me were growing smaller and less thick as I approached the camp. The ground was well walked upon and the air smelled strongly of cats. Paw prints covered the ground nearby.

Suddenly, there was a crack of a twig, and the smell of cats only grew stronger. The scent was vaguely familiar… that was it! I recognised it from yesterday! It was the scent of Fireheart, mixed with Greystripe's. There were two other, younger scents intermingling with them, but I didn't know who they belonged to.

I felt a pickle of excitement flutter around my body, but I didn't let it show upon my face. Instead, I retained the cool demeanour I adopted the previous day.

The bushes rustled one final time, before a cat's shape appeared from the greenery. Fireheart. The tom glanced behind him- there was a broad smile upon his face. 'Come on,' he said, 'don't you want to see the territory?'

And that was when he noticed me.

The tom froze for a moment, and a growl started within his throat, but then an uneasy recognition flooded into his eyes. He sat down on his haunches and his tail rested neatly on his paws. 'Rook.' He greeted me, almost politely.

I nodded in return, but didn't show any sign of emotion. 'Fireheart,' I said, before glancing over the tom's shoulder. 'Nice to see you, for all it's worth. I can tell that Greystripe is with you, along with two other cats. Who might they be?'

He just stared at me, before shrugging and looking away from my icy blue stare. 'It doesn't matter. You'll meet them soon enough.'

I blinked, but once more didn't react. Fireheart shook himself before continuing on. 'I thought you might come back.' He stated, matter of factly. 'Tigerclaw thought so as well, but I don't think he'll be to pleased about your arrival, even if he did vouch for you.'

Now _that, _I wasn't expecting. _What does he mean, Tigerclaw vouched me for? Vouched for me on the subject of what? _I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, but I didn't have enough time. Three more figures evaporated from the shadows of the bush. One of them was Greystripe, and now I remembered the scene from a Fire and Ice. Just after the battle by the gorge, Fireheart and Greystripe got appointed their first apprentices by Bluestar. The two younger smells I picked up on must be their apprentices. Brackenpaw and-

Cinderpaw!

The grey she-cat had bounded up beside her brother with an aura of excitement and enthusiasm that I found adorable. There was a light and excitement in her eyes… a kind of twinkle that in a way, saddened me. I knew how the twinkle of excitement would soon be distinguished. I knew that she would have to live the life of a medicine cat.

A small smile distorted the bottom of my lip, but I quickly covered it up. I couldn't let them know about my knowledge of their future.

Greystripe stepped forward so that he was standing beside Fireheart: their two apprentices stood nervously behind them. 'Rook!' He exclaimed, sounding a little bit surprised. 'Tigerclaw was right!'

'Yes, Fireheart mentioned Tigerclaw as well.' I said shortly, waving away Greystripe's comment a little bit disinterestedly. 'Are you going to tell me what that's about, or are you going to keep me hanging?'

Greystripe narrowed his eyes, and looked about to send back a sharp retort, but Fireheart waved his tail over his friend's mouth, silencing him. 'Well, I think that we'd better take you back to camp then, Rook.'

I raised an eyebrow. 'What makes you think I'm here to go to your camp?'

Fireheart looked confused for a second, but upon seeing the teasing look in my eyes, he shook his head. 'Why else would you be here if you weren't waiting for someone to escort you to our camp?'

I simply sent a few strokes of my tongue down my stomach, before getting to my paws and nodding. 'Lead the way then.'

Fireheart returned the gesture, before turning round and padding back the other way. I bounded forward swiftly so that I was walking in sync with the two ThunderClan warriors, but we didn't converse. If anything, there was an element of awkwardness between us as we moved. My eyelids contracted. _Fireheart was usually very open and friendly towards outsiders that came into ThunderClan,_ I thought,_ so why is he being so informal now?_

For some reason, I suspected it was probably due to the work of Tigerclaw. At the time, I had been puzzled about the actions of Tigerclaw when he let me go after the fight at the gorge, and now I was even more confused. _Had he supported me so much that Fireheart was suspicious of me too?_

Even though he was never my favourite Warriors character, I didn't want to make a bad first impression on the hero of the books, so I decided to break the silence. 'So…' I drawled, breaking into my trademark smirk. 'Are you going to introduce me to your little friends here?'

Greystripe was the one who answered me. 'These cats are our new apprentices,' he said, curtly. 'You'll find out more about the Clan system if ThunderClan allows you to join.'

_Again, they seem to be very convinced that I'm joining the Clan, _I thought, more angry than anything now. _Did someone tell them that I would return? _I ignored the irritating thoughts, and returned to answer Greystripe. 'That wasn't much of an introduction,' I hinted, coldly.

Neither Fireheart or Greystripe replied- they seemed to have taken it upon themselves to be completely ignore me. I almost hissed in frustration, but instead decided to keep a cool head. Like I said, if they were going to be my new clan-mates, I didn't want to get off to a bad start with them.

So instead, I turned so that I was facing Brackenpaw and Cinderpaw. I had to admit, it _did _feel like I was meeting a celebrity when I looked at Cinderpaw. I was glad to see her eyes beheld a look of mere curiosity, whereas Brackenpaw seemed more animated. 'I think you already know that my name is… Rook.' I finished relatively smoothly, almost slipping up and telling them my name was Jack. 'Who might you be?'

Brackenpaw opened his mouth to respond, but Cinderpaw beat him to it. 'Are you a lon-'

But Brackenpaw intercepted her before she could speak again. 'Our names our Brackenpaw and Cinderpaw.' He said, dismissing his sister's annoyed glare. I almost purred in amusement, but at the very last second caught myself, and turned it back into a smirk.

'Hello, Brackenpaw.' I replied, giving him an informal flick of the tail. 'And in answer to your question, Cinderpaw, I am a loner yes.' As soon as I'd finished, I glanced quickly up at Fireheart and Greystripe, who were leading the way. They seemed a little bit taken back by the fact I was being open with their apprentices. 'But I might not be a loner for much longer, as it happens.'

Cinderpaw's fur bristled excitedly. 'So you are joining the Clan!' She exclaimed, before nudging her brother, who smiled back. 'Sandpaw will be pleased: she didn't stop talking about you for the whole night while you were gone!'

I raised a conspicuous eyebrow (or at least it felt like I was raising an eyebrow.) This time, my smirk grew wider. 'Oh, she did, did she?'

'Yeah,' Cinderpaw continued. It seemed my relatively open tone had set both the apprentices at ease. 'She told us the whole story about how you saved her life at the gorge, and how after that you spoke up against Tigerclaw, and then he just let you go!' Her eyes were bright with wonder. 'No one ever stands up to Tigerclaw!'

To be honest, I didn't really know how to reply to that. I felt honoured (and a little awe inspired) that Cinderpaw, _the _Cinderpaw, was openly expressing so much admiration towards me. The pokerface remained, but I couldn't help but feel elated inside.

However, for some reason, I had a terrible feeling in my gut that something was… wrong. I didn't know what it was, just something in what Cinderpaw had said. I felt like I had somehow done something terrible, or maybe accidentally changed something. It was a kind of helplessness, like I was trapped on a spider's web with no way of escape.

I was about to speak, when suddenly Fireheart's voice rose above all the rest. 'We're here.'

I couldn't prevent myself from gasping a little bit. After all, I was really here! Just outside the ThunderClan camp, and hopefully, just about to join them. My insides flew around inside my stomach like butterflies as I padded forward so that I was standing beside Fireheart in the gorse tunnel. Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw had gone over to Greystripe, and for a moment, I forgot any previous misgivings I'd had. Now, I just felt nervous.

But before we entered, Fireheart faced me once more. I had no idea how I was still managing to keep my expression unemotional, but it seemed to trick Fireheart. 'I don't think it will bother you that much,' he whispered, so that no one else would hear them, 'but if you really do join the Clan, don't expect it all to be easy.'

_Oh don't worry, _I thought, _I won't._

And with that, we padded into the camp.

I'd seen lots of artistic impressions of what the ThunderClan camp looked like on the internet, but it was an awful lot different to how I'd imagined it when reading it in my own mind. There were in fact two seperate exits to the camp, which I didn't remember from the books. One was the gorse tunnel, which we'd come through, and the other was in fact the ravine which I'd remembered earlier. It was slightly smaller than I'd imagined as well: about the size of the centre circle in a football pitch.

But that didn't make it any less amazing.

Cats sat with their clan-mates, bathing in the afternoon sun. I knew they were sharing tongues, and this time, I did genuinely smile. There were lots of dens lying around the clearing, many just being hollow logs and such, but the most physically imposing of them all was the one that I assumed was the leader's den. It was carved deep into the stone of a huge boulder, which I knew to be the Highrock. It overlooked the whole clearing, and there, standing upon it, was none other than the cat herself.

Bluestar, unlike the camp, was _larger _than I had imagined. She had a tall figure, and dark grey pelt that was lean but somewhat threatening- though her most impressive feature where her eyes. They were a beautiful shade of cerulean blue, and they glowed in the shimmering light like sapphires. It was clear to see how much the Clan respected her. Every time a cat passed, they would nod in greeting, and she would nod back, smiling and showing her own respect to them.

And suddenly, she turned her head and saw Fireheart and me standing at the entrance to the gorse tunnel, looking into the camp. Her eyes widened with surprise, but then they relaxed, and in one great leap she jumped off the rock and down into the clearing.

At the same time as she did this, the other Clan members seemed to notice the presence of another cat in the camp as well. Many got to their paws, craning to get a good look at me, whereas others just stayed where they were, as apprehensive and hostile as the cats from yesterday. I gulped quietly. _Well, Fireheart warned me it wouldn't be easy._

Bluestar padded forward until she was standing in front of us, where she lifted her tail, requesting silence from her clan-mates. They answered her within moments, and suddenly, all the talk and chatter of the scene a few moments ago had evaporated.

'Fireheart and Greystripe,' she murmured, nodding to them silently. The two warriors returned the polite gesture to their leader before sitting back in silence. 'It seems that you were destined to get yourself into trouble, and your first day as a mentor, no less!' She chuckled, almost darkly.

Then a massive, brown tabby tom with unnerving amber eyes padded forward so that he standing beside Bluestar. It was Tigerclaw, and suddenly, his enourmous strength and size was underlined. Bluestar, for a she-cat, was a very big and strong warrior, but Tigerclaw dwarfed everyone else in the clearing.

'I see that the loner you told us all about yesterday did indeed return,' Bluestar said to her deputy, and he nodded. My eyes tracked him carefully, taking in his every move. I still needed to find out what he "vouched" for me over. 'I have to admit, I didn't think he would. It seems you're trust in him was not displaced.'

'Yes, everyone keeps saying that.' I said, stepping forward boldly. Bluestar turned around and stared at me, clearly surprised. I seemed to be making a habit of that. 'What did you say?' I added, addressing Tigerclaw.

The brown tabby didn't answer; instead, he just stared back threateningly. I felt Fireheart flinch beside me, but I did not. I stared right back into those amber depths, not allowing him to dominate me.

I heard some strangely excited, and slightly nervous, whispers pass around the Clan, but quickly Bluestar raised her tail once more. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward so that she was standing only a few millimetres away from my face.

'The patrol said you were very aggressive,' Bluestar said, intimidatingly. My whole body was wracked with tension- I didn't dare blink.

Slowly, the ThunderClan leader began to circle me. She inspected my every move, and every detail, as if trying to find some evidence of disloyalty or a traitorous habit. For just a moment, I looked over her shoulder towards ThunderClan; I was surprised by how little they seemed to be affected by my attempt at joining the Clan. That said, many of them looked extremely displeased, and I knew that it wouldn't be too long until those particular cats let their disapproving voices be heard.

I recognised a few of them as well. One of them was clearly Darkstripe; his distinct black tabby pelt and tail stood out from the rest of the Clan. Another I knew instinctively was Whitestorm. He was a noticeable figure amongst the crowd, and he held himself with a clear sign of dignity that I guessed all the senior warriors would have, but others took me longer to identify. I assumed that a tomcat with a dirty brown pelt was Dustpaw, considering the way he was standing close to Sandpaw.

I realised that the apprentice still had not yet thanked me for saving life, and yet according to Cinderpaw, she hadn't stopped talking about me since the fight at the gorge. I tried to catch her eye, but she looked away.

Finally, Bluestar stopped circling me and sat down. There was a look leak of reassured calmness upon her face, but I could see she wasn't completely convinced. It made me feel angry. _What's she thinking? Does she not trust me because of something Tigerclaw said, like Fireheart?_

She didn't say a word more, but then she spun around and started padding in the opposite direction back towards the Highrock, Tigerclaw by her side. The rest of the Clan followed her, and I felt Fireheart nudge me forward.

As soon as Bluestar had climbed up onto the boulder, she looked ready to announce something of great importance, but before she could, she was interrupted. 'So have you decided, Bluestar?'

It was, as I'd assumed, Darkstripe. His voice was laced with sarcasm and open dislike. 'Are we going to let another _outsider _into this Clan?' He spat.

I bristled at the way he said he emphasised the word "outsider". I noticed that Fireheart also looked disgruntled, but to my annoyance, I saw that Darkstripe had many of the Clan's support. Longtail raised his voice above Darkstripe's especially loudly, making sure his leader knew exactly how he felt on the matter. Even Whitestorm looked unsure.

If Bluestar had heard Darkstripe's remark, she didn't show any sign she had. 'I know that all of you will have mixed opinions on this subject… some will feel more strongly than others. Letting a none-clanborn cat into a Clan is always hotly debated by everyone-'

'And there's a good reason why it is!' Longtail shouted, to a crescendo of agreeing yowls. At this, my claws unsheathed themselves, and from the back of my throat there came a throbbing growl.

'He's not one of us!''

'We've taken far too many cats under our wing recently.'

'It wouldn't do anything good for our reputation in the eyes of the other Clans!'

At this, Whitestorm stepped forth out of the mass, and all eyes turned to him. He waited for Bluestar to give him permission to speak, which she did with a curt nod. 'With all due respect, Bluestar, it is undeniable that letting this cat into the Clan would be unwise. I'm not saying anything to disrespect him,' he added, swiftly, 'but there are too many risks. We're not popular with ShadowClan at the moment, _or _RiverClan for that matter, after the fight at the gorge.'

Bluestar tilted her head, almost like a kitten to it's mother, to one-side. 'Fireheart was once a kittypet too,' she pointed out, 'and yet he has grown into a fine ThunderClan warrior. There is no reason why this cat, Rook, would not.' She looked down at Tigerclaw. 'From what I hear, he has already proved that he has the bravery of a warrior, but not only that, he thinks like a warrior. He saved the life of one of our apprentices, even though he had no idea who she was or what our quarrel was with RiverClan. He could have abandoned her, like any other loner would, but he didn't. Does that not show he could be great?'

Tigerclaw nodded, giving his leader the support. _That's ironic, considering he's actually going to try and kill her in a books time, _I thought_, _mostly to myself.

However, I have to admit I was touched by Bluestar's speech, but also a little wary of the fact that she was making me out to be some kind of hero. I'd rescued Sandpaw purely on a whim. Several cats took another look at me, as if they were considering whether I really could be warrior. I made sure to send them back a cool and icy cold stare.

Whitestorm looked thoughtful, but Darkstripe certainly didn't. 'It doesn't make any difference!' He hissed. 'We still don't know anything about him. For all we know, he could be a spy from ShadowClan.'

His comment quickly rallied his previous group of supporters, and the effect of Bluestar's reasoning were completely wiped off. The blue grey she-cat looked lost, as if she didn't know what to do next. I felt a sinking feeling deep down, one that told me that it wasn't going to happen. She was going to send me away.

But then I had an idea.

My eyes widened slightly, and I looked at Darkstripe. He was smiling: he knew that Bluestar would have to take into account the views of her Clan. If he just kept the pressure on her, she would soon cave in, and then all my hope really would be distinguished. I had to act quickly if I was going to get a place in ThunderClan, and so I decided to put my idea to the test.

Intentionally loudly, I turned round to face Greystripe. I had to make it seem like I didn't want Darkstripe to hear what I was saying, but I had to make it the right volume for him to hear it. 'Who is this pissed off little prick?' I snarled. 'He sounds like a real pile of shit.'

Darkstripe's ears pricked up, and the whole Clan went quiet. They'd heard exactly what I'd said, and though they probably didn't understand my human insults, it was clear to see that what I had said would most definitely anger Darkstripe. 'What did you say, loner?' He growled.

I padded forward dangerously. 'What, didn't you hear me?' I asked. My voice was as bitter as frost. 'I said you were pissed off little prick. Maybe you should listen more carefully next time.'

Darkstripe yowled and jumped forward. The crowd separated, creating a path for the black tabby to move through. He unsheathed his claws, and I unsheathed my own in return. 'By the time I get through with you, there won't be a next time.'

I just smirked. 'Oh please, I wouldn't try and fight me.' I said, goading him teasingly.

'Scared?'

'Oh no,' I retorted, sitting up and pretending to groom myself. 'I just don't want to fatally hurt you.'

And that was what tilted Darkstripe over the edge. With a hiss of fury, he leapt into the air, straight for me. I got down into a crouch, preparing myself. I had to win this fight, just as Firepaw had had to win against Longtail in Into the Wild.

My life depended on it.

* * *

><p><strong>Ohhhhh… <strong>**cliffy!**

**Anyways, I'll be back with an update soon. Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Here's chapter four! Hope you enjoy it.**

**And blah blah thanks for reviews blah blah. I know I say it before every single chapter, but they really are important, so I give you guys permission to leave one. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Burning Sky<strong>

**Chapter Four:**

I was expecting Darkstripe's attack to hit me head on- maybe I was being stupid, but Darkstripe didn't strike me as the kind of warrior that thought about his battles, like I did. I always assumed he was like Tigerclaw: the kind of cat that used his power to his advantage.

So I was taken by surprise by Darkstripe's initial attack. He at first leapt into the air, and instinctively, I dodged away to the side, avoiding the leap, but suddenly, the black tabby did a twist in mid air, changed his direction and landed firmly on my back. It was a clever move, and I screeched in fury as he dug his claws into my shoulder blades. I ignored the stinging pain, and tried to think of what warriors did in the books when someone was on their back.

And then I remembered. _They rolled over! _Quickly, I shifted my weight into my back, flipped over and crushed Darkstripe underneath me. The resulting mew was one of shock and anger. I could tell he hadn't expected me to know to manoeuvre.

But now that he was on the floor, with his belly exposed, I seised the opportunity. With my claws outstretched, I raked them down his soft stomach, also recalling that this was a warrior's weakest spot. Darkstripe screamed, and I felt blood stain my paws.

But Darkstripe wasn't done yet. He raised his back legs and kicked backwards, shoving me off, and at the same time tipping me off balance. I recovered fast, but not quick enough. Darkstripe shot forward and struck with his paw, aiming straight for my face.

And once more, it was a human battle technique that saved me, just like it had with the RiverClan tom.

It came naturally to me; when someone was trying to punch you, what you always did first was try to block the impact. So I reared up onto my hind legs and shoved my front paws forward, straight into Darkstripe's attack. Amazingly, it absorbed all the power of the blow, and Darkstripe was left staring in a mixture of shock and frustration.

I realised that I could follow through with it. In Darkstripe's short moment of distraction, I shot forward like a bullet and pinned him down. He writhed ferociously on the ground beneath my grip, but I refused to let go.

I knew this was the turning point in the battle. I couldn't allow Darkstripe to get back to his paws- otherwise, he'd eventually beat me. If I didn't seize this opportunity, I wouldn't get another chance. I had to take it. I just had to.

But fucking hell, that cat was strong! I held on for dear to life, desperately trying to keep him down, but every second, I was having to defend myself as well. He bit forward several times, but miraculously, I not only managed to keep hold of him but also dodged the attacks. The Clan watched with bated breath. You could have heard a pin drop.

And soon, Darkstripe's struggles started to weaken. I could feel his grip on me loosening- I could see victory just in the distance, like sunset just after the darkest hour of night. If I managed to just hold on, it would all be over.

'Submit.' I growled, as I felt the tom fall back, breathing heavily and gasping for breath.

But he didn't: if anything, my comment just infuriated him even more. 'Never!' He rasped.

This time, I couldn't prevent my anger. Snarling, I pushed forward with my front paw and placed it right on his neck, claws unsheathed. 'Submit!' I ordered, baring my fangs. 'Or I _will _kill you.'

'You wouldn't.' Darkstripe coughed. 'Not any cat wise would kill a clan-cat right in front of his leader and deputy.'

Always on cue, I smirked and leaned in threateningly. 'I am no cat.'

Admittedly, it probably wasn't the best thing to say considering I _didn't _want the Clan to discover that I was secretly a human in a cat's body, and of course, I wouldn't have actually killed him. But either way, I thought it sounded bloody awesome.

It was just my fury getting the better of me, but my words seemed to have the desired effect. Darkstripe looked deep into the merciless depths of my icy blue eyes, and suddenly looked for all the world sure that I did truly mean it.

He groaned in pain, but then ducked his head in submission. I had won.

I too was panting for breath when I finally released the pressure on the dark tabby warrior and looked towards ThunderClan. They were staring at me in a mixture of speechless shock, and… was that fear?

I didn't have time to ponder on my victory, however, because suddenly, I noticed Bluestar's commanding shape padding through the crowd of cats and straight towards me. Quickly, I sat back onto my haunches and gave her a respectful nod, and to my own surprise, she returned it.

'Cats of ThunderClan!' She announced, addressing the cats that now surrounded her in a tight circle. 'For the second time, a newcomer has come to ThunderClan, and proved without doubt that they are worthy of our ranks by defeating one of our own, Clan-born, warriors.' I heard a slightly amused chuckle behind them, and almost smiled myself when I saw that it came from Fireheart. 'In this case, the loner Rook, has shown his potential by both defeating a seasoned warrior _and _by saving the life of one of our Clanmates. We can repay our debt to him for this by accepting his request.'

She glanced down at the crumpled and defeated shape of Darkstripe on the ground, and gestured for the two nearest warriors, Runningwhisker and Longtail, to take him to the medicine den before she continued. 'Does anyone still resent the decision of him joining the Clan?'

In the silence that followed, I felt more excited and more happy than I had ever felt in my life.

'Then by the powers invested in me by the mighty StarClan above, I strip this loner of his previous name, and his previous life. Now, he can be welcomed with open paws to the life of ThunderClan, and but know this, Rook.' She said, turning to face me when she said this. She looked stern. 'Being a Clan cat is never easy- there is much responsibility expected by the Clan. For you to disrespect the ancient code layed down by our ancestors will only lead you to failure. Are you sure you wish to follow this path?'

I just glared back determinedly. 'Yes, Bluestar.' I stated.

And for the first time since I'd become a cat, Bluestar blessed me with a true, genuine smile. 'Good.' But it evaporated faster than it had come. 'So from now onwards, i hereby grant you your new name. Rookpaw!'

I wouldn't have liked to have said that the whole Clan cheered when Bluestar said this, just like in one of those crappy high school movies, but the only sound that followed was an uneasy silence.

'I understand that you are well passed your sixth moon,' she reminded me, 'but until you have learnt the code in it's entirety, you will have to be treated as an apprentice. For now, I trust that Whitestorm can teach you what you need to now as well as continuing the training of Sandpaw.'

Whitestorm nodded respectfully. 'I will, Bluestar.'

And then, Bluestar seemed to be satisfied. 'This Clan meeting is dismissed.' It was the final thing she said before disappearing into the shadow's of the leader's den, and out of sight.

Though my cold exterior betrayed nothing, I felt like I was walking on air. _I did it! _I thought. _I really joined ThunderClan!_

For a moment, the niggling thought bit it's way through my defences. I'd done a good job of blocking the worrying and stressful thoughts from my brain over the past day, but I couldn't help it. My excited mood was ruined when I reminisced in the past. About Sally and mum. I wondered whether they would be proud for me in this moment; but I knew it was stupid. They didn't care about some stupid fictional cats in a stupid fictional book. They didn't care about how much the Warriors books meant to me. They never had, and they never would.

'You fought well there, Rook_paw.' _

The voice disturbed me from my daydream about my family, and I looked up to see Fireheart standing beside me. Once more his expression was unreadable, but I saw that some of the awkwardness from before had been obliterated. He no longer seemed so apprehensive- just unsure.

'Thank you.' I said cooly, narrowing my eyes at him. 'It would seem that you're experienced in all this shit about, "proving yourself to your Clan".'

My comment provoked a soft purr from the ginger tom, and he went on to explain the way that he'd first joined the Clan after abandoning his life as a kittypet. Of course, I didn't need to know about Fireheart's fight with Longtail, but it was initially quite interesting to hear his memories of it. I payed him my full attention, and suddenly realised that Fireheart really fascinated me. It was odd being in the presence of every cat from the Warriors books, and even though I certainly felt the most honoured by Cinderpaw, Fireheart (as a warrior that is) had always been one of the more likeable characters.

Suddenly, I recalled what the main plot line of Fire and Ice was. This was the book where Greystripe started his infamous forbidden relationship with Silversteam! I felt a slight inkling of sympathy towards Fireheart, knowing his close bonds of friendship with Greystripe would be tested over the coming moons.

The ginger tom himself seemed to look a lot more relaxed than he had when I'd seen him an hour ago outside the camp. He licked his chops, but still refused to show any sign of acceptance towards me. 'So, do you want me to show you around the camp?' He offered, before looking me up and down. 'I could also take you to the fresh kill pile if you want.'

I stared, feeling suspicious. 'Why did you ask that?' I said, sharply.

Fireheart looked bemused. 'No offence, but you seem very thin. Aren't you hungry?'

I was about to send back a sharp retort, before discovering that he was right. I was hungry. In fact, I was absolutely starving! Thinking about it, I probably needed to both eat and drink _very _quickly since it must've been two days since I'd last had a decent meal; this detail was only underlined when a loud grumble echoed from deep inside my stomach.

I felt a little bit embarrassed, but didn't show it. It seemed I had switched places with Fireheart for a moment. He was the one smirking at me!

I shuffled my paws. 'Right, let's go then.' I snapped, grumpily.

'Whoa whoa whoa, not so fast.' Both me and Fireheart looked up to see Whitestorm padding over to us, a wry smile on his face. His voice was deep and brash. 'Fireheart, I think you're forgetting your own duties as a mentor. You and Greystripe were supposed to take your new apprentices on a tour of the territory before being…' he glanced at me, 'interrupted.'

And before you knew it, the smirk was back, where it belonged, on my face.

Fireheart looked sheepish. 'Sorry, Whitestorm,' he apologised, before his tail twitched and he look at the senior warrior with open confusion. 'Who's going to show Rookpaw the camp?'

'I will,' Whitestorm answered him. He didn't look at Bluestar, but instead kept his eyes fixed upon mine. He, like Bluestar, was clearly trying to find some element of disloyalty within me. _No one did this to Fireheart when he came, _I thought, almost bitterly. 'It would appear that Bluestar has appointed me as you're mentor for the time being.' He finished, finally.

I nodded, showing my respect towards the tom. 'Of course.' I said, shortly.

Either Whitestorm thought I was being sarcastic, or he just for some reason didn't like me. The tom narrowed his amber eyes, hissed a little bit and then turned back to Fireheart. I couldn't help but feel a little bit insulted. 'You may go now Fireheart.'

The ginger tom dipped his head and flicked me with his tail, as if to say, _we'll talk later. _I watched as he disappeared from the camp in step with Greystripe- their apprentices trailed behind. For some reason, my heart leapt into my mouth when I saw Cinderpaw avert her gaze from her brother and catch my eyes for just a second, before following the toms out into the forest.

Whitestorm licked his cheek before sitting down on his haunches; his tail rested neatly on his paws. I copied him, before deciding to break the momentary awkwardness that had passed between us. 'What first?' I asked, cooly.

'Well, first of all, we're going to get you some food,' he replied, disapprovingly. 'Fireheart was right when he said you look thin. Even for a Clan cat you are! And despite the fact that you displayed some impressive fighting instincts against Darkstripe, we're going to have to work on getting you into shape.'

I was taken back for a second. _Was he saying that I wasn't fit or something? _That was where I had to draw the line. As a human, I actually exercised regularly by going to the gym and taking runs. Surely I couldn't have gotten so out of shape in the few days that even cats were criticising me on it?

'What do you mean by that?' I said, trying to remain calm.

He must've noticed the icy, slightly angry, tone in my voice, for swiftly he adjusted his own tone to make it sound more welcoming. 'I'm saying that you're weak,' he said, with a slight gentleness to his voice. 'I'm just saying that in the first moon or so, you may have some trouble adjusting to the routines and expectations of the Clan: you'll have to train regularly, go on patrols, spar with your den-mates, and hunt for the Clan daily. It will be an exhausting job for someone not used to the system.' He tilted his head to one side. 'Are you ready for it?'

Once more, determination flowed through my system. My ears flattened against the side of my head, and I spoke the old cliche. 'I was born ready.'

And just for a second, the steely glint in Whitestorm's amber depths evaporated. 'Good,' he said. 'Welcome to ThunderClan!'

The white tom turned around and began padding away in the opposite direction, signalling for me with his thin tail to follow. He lead me through the camp clearing over to one side of the Highrock, where I saw the fresh kill pile. I couldn't help but feel slightly shocked from the difference of what I saw for reality and what I had envisioned, because in the books, it was described as welcoming food. But in reality...

It literally was a pile of stinking, dead animals.

I wrinkled my nostrils at the smell of death that lingered upon the prey, but looked up when Whitestorm moved forward and picked a fat (and I guess juicy?) mouse from the top of the pile. 'Hear, have this,' he said, chucking it over. I caught it on my paw, but almost flinched as the body rolled over on my furry palm, and its now sightless black eyes stared up at me.

Whitestorm chuckled. 'You really haven't eaten for days, have you?' He said, before shrugging his shoulders. 'Well go on then, eat it!'

My eyes widened in horror at the prospect of eating raw, dead meat. _Shit! _I thought. _I didn't anticipate this when I joined ThunderClan! _A flicker of puzzlement showed upon Whitestorm's face, but he didn't say anything, waiting for me to eat.

I glared down helplessly at the prey, and considered my options. I couldn't exactly not eat the prey- it was the only food around, and the only food eatable since I was a cat. Besides, I was starving and equally thirsty, and the muddy puddles of water that lay around the camp didn't seem too appetising either. I couldn't put off a meal for another day. Then I actually _would be _starving!

I gritted my teeth, but forced myself to keep my eyes open. 'Well, here goes nothing.' I muttered, before taking a bite of the mouse.

I chewed.

Then I chewed.

And the I chewed some more.

Whitestorm purred a little, before stepping forward and lightly cuffing me over the head with his paw. 'See? That wasn't so bad was it?' He said, before stopping. 'You must have really not eaten in awhile for you to scoff it all down like that.

I had finished gulping down the mouse in less than five seconds. First of all, he was right: to my surprise, the mouse had indeed been absolutely delicious, and since I would've have welcomed any food vaguely nice at the time, I had finished the whole thing soon after. I licked my lips and stop a little straighter. There was a warm, full feeling in my stomach.

'What are we going to do next?' I asked smoothly.

Whitestorm hesitated for a second, before shaking his head, as if distracted by something. 'You're not the most talkative of cats, are you?' He muttered, and after the cold glare I have him after this, he continued with, 'Neither are you the kindest I've ever met.'

I sighed frustratedly before repeating my previous question to the senior warrior. He seemed to take the hint. 'I'll give you a full tour of the camp next,' he said, before looking up at the sky. 'I think after that, it'll be nearly sun down.'

He was right. The sun was indeed beginning to sink below the horizon. Night was drawing in, so Whitestorm made sure to make the most out of the remaining time we had left. He showed me everything in the camp, the nursery, the warriors den, the medicine cat den (which because of the strong herb scent, we quickly moved away from), and we even got to take a glimpse inside the leader's den! We also stopped to talk with several cats on our way around the camp. Most of the elders treated me kindly enough, but Halftail displayed open dislike towards me. I ignored him, as I did a lot of the stares that I received from around the camp.

We finally came to a stop when we reached the final den to see. It was concealed behind a large, broken and hollow leg; behind this, there was some bracken and some strategically placed shrubs that concealed most of the nests from my sight. 'This,' Whitestorm announced, 'is the apprentice's den. You'll be staying in here for the next few moons while you learn about Clan life.' He sniffed the air, before checking the sky again. This time, the sun had all but disappeared from view, and dark shadows had begun to appear around th camp.

'Well, Rookpaw,' he said, 'this is where I leave you.'

My eyelids contracted a little. 'There's nothing more to see?' I said icily.

'No,' he replied, before gesturing into the apprentice's den. 'That is, except for getting yourself a nest in the apprentice's den. You'll have four den mates with you in there, two of which are already inside. Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw, who you've already met, will be returning from their first training session shortly.' His ears pricked up. 'I also understand that you're already acquainted with Sandpaw.'

He was referring to how I'd saved her life at the gorge, and I nodded. 'Yes, I have already met her.' I murmured, bluntly, before adding quietly under my breath. 'She still hasn't thanked me though.'

There was an short silence, before Whitestorm coughed. 'Well, I'll see you in the morning for training, Rookpaw.' He rasped, before turning around and padding away. 'Sleep well: you're gonna need the rest.'

I was left alone by the apprentices den. My eyes narrowed and I peered through the branches and into the den. I could just about see the shapes of Dustpaw and Sandpaw, talking in their nests. There were three others in the den, one of them, I guessed, was for me. A build of tense nervousness began in my limbs, but I shook myself and concentrated on keeping my expression unemotional. I knew this could be difficult, since Dustpaw hadn't been welcoming to Fireheart when he first joined, but Sandpaw I wasn't sure about. She was still yet to even _talk _to me after the incident at the gorge.

I decided just to get it over with, and without hesitation, I stepped over the hollow log confidently and ducked into the apprentice's den.

When Dustpaw turned to face me for the first time, I have to admit I was surprised by the fact that seemed to be even more hatred in his angry stare than there had been in Darkstripe's. He had been sitting closely together with Sandpaw, but her reaction was completely different. Her eyes widened with an emotion I couldn't read, and she got to her paws.

'Rookpaw,' she breathed, before sending a nervous stroke of the tongue down her sandy coloured pelt. 'I- uh- I wasn't expecting you to come here so soon.'

I raised an eyebrow. _Sandpaw had been expecting me? _I thought. 'Well, here I am,' I answered cooly, before stepping further into the den and quickly glancing at Dustpaw. He looked like he was preparing to pounce. 'And who is this?' I asked Sandpaw. Even though I was fully aware of who he was, I guessed it would be the best idea to have a proper, formal introduction.

For a moment, Sandpaw didn't speak. Either she was too embarrassed of some reason (I could see the blush on her ginger cheeks) or she was just in a very self-conscious mood. 'Him?' He squeaked, before shaking herself. 'Um, this is my best friend. His name is Dustpaw.'

'Hello Dustpaw,' I said, as politely as I could muster. 'Are you-'

But before I could continue, Dustpaw hissed and cut in rudely. 'You're not welcome here, loner.' He spat, his voice laced with hostility. 'You should leave ThunderClan and get out of here while you can.'

Sandpaw turned her head to look at him, shocked. I was must admit, I was also shocked, although of course, I didn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know that I was. Instead, my whole expression turned from cool and calm, to icy cold and piercing. 'Dustpaw!' She said.

But the tom wasn't finished. 'I don't know what Bluestar was thinking about,' he snapped, getting to his paws. 'I respect her as my leader, but at the moment she's just being mouse brained. A kittypet, and an ex loner in ThunderClan? It's an embarrassment.'

He seemed to wait for a response, but I said nothing. I instead, I seemed to annoy him even more by sending the apprentice a steely glare. 'So get it into your head, _Rookpaw,_' he spoke the word as if it tasted particular horrible on his tongue, 'you'd better show some respect, because I'm going to do everything to make your life a misery in this Clan. Watch your step, because I'll always be on your tail.'

_Melodramatic much? _I mused in my brain, thoroughly unimpressed by his whole speech. Nonchalantly, I licked my paws. 'Respect,' I replied, 'is something that has to be earned.'

Dustpaw's eyes bulged with anger, and he raised his paw. For just a moment, I thought he was going to hit me! He certainly seemed angry enough to do so-

But just when he was about to bring his claws scraping down my cheek, a blur of ginger shot forward and broke us apart. I could see the hurt in Sandpaw's gaze. 'What are you doing Dustpaw?' She yelled, as if she was ashamed of him. 'Seriously, have you hit yourself over the head? Cut it out!'

Dustpaw glanced between me and Sandpaw, and then back again. The fire in his eyes seemed to have been calmed, but he didn't look at all ready to apologise. He sent me one more hiss, before shoving past me and out into the darkness of the night.

Though there hadn't been much involved, Sandpaw seemed to be heavily out of breath. She shook her head in disbelief towards her friend, and then looked at the ground. 'Sorry about Dustpaw. He's just… not in a great mood.'

My ear pricked at this. 'If that was "not a great mood", I'd hate to see him when he was in a bad mood,' I replied sarcastically.

Sandpaw winced and her tail kinked into the air. 'But really, I'm not saying it just as an excuse. He isn't normally like that,' she said, and I could sense how apologetic she sounded. 'He'll come round eventually.'

'Oh no, don't worry, he was absolutely charming.' I retorted bluntly, before padding around and sniffing at the nests by Sandpaw's own. I could see one was more freshly made than the other's. 'I assume this nest is mine?' I asked her.

She nodded. 'Yeah.' Once again, the rosy blush on her cheeks became even more evident. 'I um, made it for you myself, actually.'

Now that really did make my smirk. 'You put this together?' I said, amused. 'I must say, I'm honoured that such an attractive she-cat would put the effort into please me.'

Okay, I know what you're thinking. And yeah, I guess that it is a little bit weird that a human (if in a cat's form) was flirting with a cat. But I didn't mean it seriously- to be honest, it was just for a bit of fun. At first, I thought that Sandpaw would laugh at my joke, but instead, she just seemed a little bit lost for words. 'Oh, well, um…' She stuttered, for the second time in the conversation speechless. 'It was- uh- the least I could do to thank you after what you did at the gorge.'

And suddenly, the atmosphere of the conversation changed dramatically. All we did was stare at each other, as if seizing each other up before heading into battle. And finally, Sandpaw said the words that I knew had been coming. 'Thank you.'

It was good to know she wasn't an ungrateful bitch.

Suddenly, Sandpaw glanced up at the sky: by this point, the full moon was now glimmering through the gaps in the roof of the apprentice's den. 'We should get some sleep,' she murmured quietly, before turning her back on me and curling up into a ball. 'You'll have a long day of training ahead of you tomorrow.'

I nodded, mostly to myself, before following her into my own nest and closing my eyes, allowing the exhilaration of the day to finally lull me into a deep, comfortable sleep. But just before I opened and crossed the gate into the world of dreams, I couldn't help but think about what Sandpaw's reaction to my joke "flirting". It seemed like the one of a cat who'd just been pressured by her first crush. _But that can't be right! _I told myself. _She falls in love with Fireheart. That's how history progresses in these books. History can't be altered._

_Can it?_

* * *

><p><strong>Ohhhhhh, can history be altered?!<strong>

**Yes.**

**Anyway, moving on, please RR and I'll get chapter five up ASAP. Thanks for ****reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: HEYYYYYYYY!  
><strong>

**Whew, after a super long exam week, I am back with a monster of a chapter. Soz it took ages to get this chapter up, but the updates will get back to their usual speed from now on- it's just that this week I had to concentrate on my exams. :0**

**So yeah. Enjoy and please RR!**

* * *

><p><strong>Burning Sky<strong>

**Chapter Five:**

_Mist swirled around my ankles and reached all the way up to my hips. It smothered the cold light of the moon, and seemed to whisper into the wind of dark stories and mysterious occurrences of the past. I shivered. Where was I? What was going on?_

_But perhaps the strangest thing about the apparent dream that I was trapped inside was the fact that I was no longer a cat, and was instead back as a human. I was still wearing the same school uniform that I had been on the day that I found my way into the world of cats, and it felt strange to be back inside the body of a human._

_I peered into the gloom and darkness, trying to make out shapes against the shadows. I could see nothing. It seemed I was completely alone in this strange landscape._

_Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me and I looked around, searching for the source of the noise. It sounded like footsteps- slowly increasing in volume as they grew nearer and nearer to their target. Then I heard the same noise once more, but this time behind me. Two sets of footsteps, slowly coming towards me through the enigmatic fog._

_I could hear my heart pounding in my chest like the wing beats of a trapped bird. My eyes widened in horror as I saw something came into view. Panic screeched through my body. My ears felt hot through anxiety. It was nearly beside me._

_Until finally, the entity came into my vision. She seemed as delicate as a feather, and her skin was lightly transparent against her ghostly clothes. You could see the ground beneath her feet- there were completely __separate. She was floating in mid air._

_But I knew the figure better than I knew myself. It was my mother._

_I looked around to see the second ghost appearing. She was smaller than my mother, and an awful lot frailer, but still completely unmistakable, from her pale skin to her ashen blonde hair. It was Sally, my sister._

_The translucent spirits of my family drifted almost carelessly, surrounding me in a constant circle of confusion and sadness. 'I've missed you!' I called out: my entire ego melted like wax in a furnace, and it gave way to the insecurity I had been hiding over the past few days._

_'Yes Jack.' Sally and my mother spoke in an eerie unison- their voices merging together and echoing away into the fog. 'We have missed you also.'_

_But this only made me confused, and slightly angry. My mother never said things so sentimental to me, so it couldn't be her. Not her as a person. Just a figment of my imagination. _

_But here she was, right in front of me! I didn't want the scene to end. I didn't want them to leave me alone again. 'What have you done since I've been gone?' I yelled, desperately. 'Does everyone think I'm dead?' I spared a thought about my best friend, and how we'd fallen out before I'd been transported into the warrior's world. 'What about Dom? What does he think?'_

_The spirits didn't answer, and instead, just kept spiralling around the mist. My sadness simply gave way for more rage. 'Answer me!' I screamed._

_Finally, the ghosts spoke, but it wasn't the response that I wanted. 'Jack, Rook, Rookpaw.' They said, both of them suddenly sounding much older and wiser than they were. 'You have adopted many names over the past two days. With every name, you have become a different being. Jack: the confident teenager, who thought he knew the world. Rook: the lost loner missing his family. Rookpaw: the new apprentice of ThunderClan. Strong and ready, with limitless potential.'_

_The two spirits suddenly came to an abrupt halt, before starting to drift towards me. I breathed in sharply, now feeling afraid. My anxiety only increased as they approached nearer and nearer and nearer- until I could see every pale white feature, and every touch of fog that drifted through them. _

_'Remember Bluestar's words.' They whispered, swaying sullenly from side to side. 'You could be great, but you must beware.'_

_'Beware of what?' I rasped, mystified. _

_'The warrior you know you cannot trust.' They replied, before looking up at the sky. It was pitch black. 'And remember this, Rookpaw. The future you think you know is changing. You are not as safe in this world as you think.' _

_Sally's eyes flashed, and then suddenly, my mother evaporated into thin air, leaving me alone with the spirit of my sister. And then she began to disappear as well._

_'Wait!' I shouted, before reaching forward and trying to touch my sister, but my hand passed straight through her. I could only watch in despair as she left, but not before her last words could echo through the mist. _

_'Fire can save the Clan, but who will stop stop the burning sky?'_

* * *

><p>I felt a soft muzzle nudge my side, calling me from the dream. The day was an awful lot colder than the day before, despite the bright and glimmering sun that's light bled through the branches of the apprentice's den. I groaned and shifted over in my nest, but inside my head was spinning. <em>I just saw my family again!<em> I thought_. Was it a message from StarClan?_

The words Sally had spoken upon leaving certainly seemed like the kind of ominous prophecy StarClan would foretell. I felt a prickle of excitement as I recalled the words of the omen. "Fire can save the Clan, who will stop the burning sky?"

Suddenly, the muzzle touched my side once more, except this time, slightly more aggressive. 'Get up Rookpaw.' A commanding voice said. 'It's time for your training.'

I finally opened my eyes to see my mentor, Whitestorm, standing above me. He looked stern. 'You don't want to be late, do you?'

I glanced around to see that apart from me and Whitestorm, the apprentice's den was completely empty. Despite the blinding sun, it had only just passed dawn._ In the human world, it would be about 7'o'clock_. I realised: _I never got up this early._

_'_Do I have to get up?' I grumbled, feeling annoyed I'd been woken up for something as trivial as my first training session as a ThunderClan apprentice-

_Wait a second, what the fuck am I talking about? This is my first training session as an apprentice!_ I was just about to get up and apologise to Whitestorm for complaining, but it seemed I had already managed to piss the senior warrior off.

'Do you want to be part of ThunderClan or don't you?' He snapped, clearly agitated; his white pelt was ruffled and spiky. 'New get up, get moving, or you'll be out of this Clan before you can say "mouse"! Understand?'

Quickly, I got out of the nest and sent a few soothing stroke of the tongue down my pelt. 'I'm sorry, Whitestorm.' I replied, as coolly as ever. 'It won't happen again.'

'Make sure it doesn't.' Whitestorm grunted, before spinning around and padding out of the apprentice's den. He gestured for me with his tail to follow, and I obeyed quietly.

When I jumped over the log after Whitestorm, I saw that most of ThunderClan was already awake. Bluestar was yet to emerge from her den, but all of the warriors had, and I made sure to go over in my head who was who: it felt good, looking at the cats of the Clan and knowing every detail, and every future event that would take place in their lives'. However I felt an inkling of sadness pass through me when I saw Greystripe, who stood beside Runningwind nearby. His life would be turned upside down by his forbidden relationship with Silverstream.

Abruptly, Whitestorm came to a halt. He'd selected a quiet spot by the nursery- I could hear the squeals of kits playing and scent the strong aroma of milk from inside. For a moment, I blinked in confusion. _Wasn't he going to take me on my first training session? _But then I snorted as I remembered. He didn't know that I knew the warrior code off by heart, and he'd want to teach me it anyway.

Whitestorm nodded to me and I sat down beside him, my jet-black tail flicked nonchalantly over my pelt. He eyed me warily, but I didn't respond to his apparent uncertainty.

'I'm sure that, even though you've only spent a day here, you'll have heard of the term, "the warrior code." He began, slowly, as if trying to ensure that I took in every word; my ears pricked up to tell him that I was listening. 'Do you have any idea what it is?'

I thought about answering him fully, but I knew he would be suspicious if I exposed my full knowledge of the warrior code. I decided to display some attitude. 'Yes,' I retorted. 'But I assume you're going to tell me what it is again anyway.'

Whitestorm glared at me and opened his mouth, as if he was about to scold me for my rudeness, but instead he closed it again and continued. 'The warrior code is a set of rules that bind the Clans of the forest together. Without them, we would not be warriors. We would be mere strays and rogues in a band of violence and murder. That it why it is vitally important that you follow this rules without hesitation, no matter how illogical they may seem to you at first...' He paused and breathed in deeply. 'You understand?'

'Yes.'

Whitestorm lectured me on the warrior code's 16 commandments for a seemingly endless time, and I have to say, I was impressed by my own patience, because what he said was incredibly boring. It might have been vaguely interesting if I didn't know anything about the warrior code, but I did know, so it was just like watching a film you'd seen on repeat at least ten times before.

Besides, it wasn't as if I didn't pay him attention. I just didn't pay my full attention. Half my brain I spent considering what me and Whitestorm were going to do after he'd finished. Would he take me on a tour of the territory, or would we head straight to the training hollow?

By the time Whitestorm stopped speaking, the sun was shining high in the sky. In the whole time that Whitestorm had been talking, I had retained the same unemotional expression, except that I might have occasionally added in a nod of agreement or a shake of the head. Whitestorm shook himself, and then got back up to his paws. For the first time since he'd woken me up, I saw an actual smile on his face. 'It's very hard to read you, Rookpaw.' He commented.

My eyes narrowed, slightly confused as to what had brought that on. 'And what, exactly, do you mean by that?' I said, coldly.

His amber eyes glinted in the sun. 'Only that...' He hesitated. 'Well, for all I know, you might not have listened to a word I just said. It was almost like speaking to a dead fox.'

I habitually smirked at this. 'Thank you.'

Instantaneously, his expression turned grave once more. 'Even so, I cannot express how vital it is that you remember that lesson, Rookpaw.' He warned. 'You'll never be a warrior if you don't remember the code of our ancestors-'

I was just about to speak, a cold and equally hostile hiss broke the formality of our conversation. 'He's not going to become a warrior anyway.' It snarled.

I turned my head and rolled my eyes. It was Longtail. The pale yellow warrior stood with his fangs bared threateningly. 'He's a loner- the Clan will see what a pathetic excuse for a cat he is soon enough.' He laughed harshly. 'He probably won't even pass his first assessment!'

I felt an overwhelming desire to react, and would have it if wasn't for Whitestorm's body frame that blocked my way. 'Don't you have something to be doing other than teasing apprentice's Longtail?' He asked, as politely as he could muster. 'Perhaps you should ask Tigerclaw for something useful to do.'

I hissed at him, underlining Whitestorm's point, but the tom just sneered back. 'Maybe you should do something better with your time than training lost causes,' he replied. 'I can't believe that Darkstripe got beaten by a _loner.'_

My paws clenched together, but I knew Whitestorm would never allow me to get to Longtail, so instead, my signature smirk passed over my face. 'Funny,' I replied, with fake politeness. 'But I seem to recall Fireheart telling me about a certain cat's ear he fucked up when _he _joined the Clan. Care to tell me who that was, Longtail?'

My words had the desired effect. Longtail seemed taken back, as if hadn't expected me to know about that particular incident. Even Whitestorm seemed surprised. 'That, that was differe-' He blustered.

I combed my whiskers sweetly. 'You know, that's an awful lot worse.' I said, tauntingly. 'That warrior got beaten in a fight by a kittypet who was basically still a kit, without any warrior training whatsoever. It's an embarrassment to ThunderClan's pride. Pitiful, really. At least Darkstripe got humiliated by a cat who _knew _how to fight.'

I was practically laughing by the time I'd finished. A lot of the time when I'd read the books, I had always come up with really clever things to say to the cats who bullied Firestar when he was a warrior- but when I actually said them it was way cooler that it had been in my mind. Longtail was absolutely _speechless,_ and the look on his face was priceless.

I stayed silent when Whitestorm spoke. He looked speechless as well, but also very amused. 'Well, move along then.' He said, like myself, struggling not to laugh. 'Myabe Tigerclaw _will_ have something for you to do?'

Longtail left in a hurry, casting embarrassed glances back to me, looking somewhat afraid. I had attracted the glares of many of my Clan mates, but also ones of interest and, to my surprise, a little bit of fear. For a second, I felt a little put off. _Is ThunderClan afraid of me?_

I didn't have time to ponder on the matter, because Whitestorm had quickly turned around and was looking at me pointedly. 'You dealt with that well.' He said.

I was about to open my mouth and sent back a sharp snap, but Whitestorm cut in. 'I don't mean that spitefully,' he added, before chuckling, mostly to himself. 'I just mean that you dealt with that very well.' He nodded over in the direction of Longtail, who was now sitting alone by the freshkill pile and glaring at me with open hatred. 'It seems that you've made it very clear to Longtail, and Darkstripe for that matter, that you are one not to be messed with.'

I just grunted in agreement, before flexing my neck muscles and unsheathing my claws into the dirt. 'So what are we doing next, mentor?' I said, frostily. 'Some real training?'

Unexpectedly, Whitestorm didn't seem fazed by my sarcastic comment at all. Perhaps he was getting used to my cold attitude. 'For a matter of fact, yes.' He answered, flatly. 'We're going to go on a tour of the territory, and then assess your hunting skills.'

He jumped up and down a few times on his paws, as if warming up for a race. 'Let's get going then!' The senior warrior said, before spinning around and dashing through the bramble tunnel and out into the forest.

_He's testing my pace,_ I realised, before smirking and putting my claws back into their sheaths. _Well, let's not disappoint him. _I thought, before bolting after him out into the forest.

* * *

><p>Me and Whitestorm spent the next few hours exploring my new territory, and getting to know the place. Likewise, I knew most of the locations, but the whole experience was pretty amazing. I saw everything, and I actually found myself appreciating it more from the last time I'd explored the territory on my own- Whitestorm explained every small detail about the forest surrounding us. Every place had it's own story and beautiful identity. I especially enjoyed the story of the Owl-tree; how the great leader Owlstar had learnt the ways of the owl's hunting techniques to catch his prey.<p>

I exhaled and inhaled deeply as we ran through the undergrowth, only stopping to catch our breaths and get to know every part of the territory. Whitestorm was a vigorous teacher, and he wasn't satisfied until he was certain that I knew everything that was possible to know. I took everything calmly and with composure, and for some reason, I had a niggling feeling that Whitestorm was somewhat impressed by my cool head and personality. I made me feel warm inside, like a flame had suddenly been kindled within me.

However, the silence that came along while we ran gave me time to think about the omen sent to me by StarClan in my dream. I had always thought that the Clans must've been really stupid not to figure out the meaning of the prophecies that StarClan foretold, for most of the time, they were blatantly obvious (I mean, seriously Jayfeather? We could all tell that the fourth cat was gonna be Firestar!). But this time, I found myself actually confused.

The first part was obvious: it was referring to the famous prophecy of "Fire alone can save the Clan". But then they'd added a second part onto the end of it- about the "burning sky". I didn't know what this was meant to signify. It didn't mean a cat, because none of the warriors in the book's allegiances held that name, so I didn't know what it was supposed to mean. _Unless it literally means that the sky is going to start burning._ I mused.

All of a sudden, Whitestorm came to an abrupt stop. I was puzzled for a moment, but considering the way he had frozen solid in stride, I guessed that I was meant to do so as well. I copied him, and dropped into crouch. 'What is it?' I whispered.

He didn't answer for a moment, before replying slowly. 'Prey.'

I frowned, before turning my head and following his eye line towards the hawthorn bush that was he was staring at. At first I could sense nothing, and I glanced back at Whitestorm, wondering if he was pulling a trick.

But apparently he was not. 'Use your nose!' He hissed. 'You must be able to scent it.'

I did as he told me to, and breathed in deeply. A hundred individual smells and aromas wafted into my nostrils, and I almost gasped in shock. I'd forgotten how sensitive a cat's nose was compared to a humans! I could detect the movement of every animal nearby for, as the Clans put, fox lengths. That also meant I could now see the mouse Whitestorm had discovered beneath the hawthorn.

'Try and catch it.'

His challenging meow caught me off guard, and glared back at him coldly. 'What?' I snarled.

'Go on.' He said again, looking totally serious. 'If you were a loner, then you should now how to hunt, even if you haven't had any training in the ways of ThunderClan hunting. And there's no better way to learn than to try it. Go on!'

I looked warily at the mouse, unsure of my own ability. After all, he didn't know that I was secretly a human in cat form, but since I had told the Clan that I was previously a loner, he expected me to know how to hunt… but I couldn't exactly refuse. He had put me on the spot, and I had no intention of disappointing my mentor.

So I shifted my body weight onto my stronger side and crouch down, eyes furrowed in concentration. I summoned up every memory that I could possibly recall to my mind about hunting, and remembered all the basics. _First of all, you've gotta keep low to the ground, and not disturb the prey by stepping on twigs and annoying shit like that, _I told myself, and I adjusted my position accordingly. _Second, you've gotta be __downwind of the prey. _

To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what "downwind" was. I knew that being downwind while hunting meant that the prey couldn't smell you, but not how to actually get downwind was an absolute mystery. I would have to gamble on this one.

So, without further ado, I began my approach.

I probably looked really stupid, but in my opinion, I was doing pretty well. I made sure to put my paws in careful places on the ground in order not to disturb the mouse and alert it to my presence, so my stalking was slow, but controlled. I was getting pretty close to the mouse when suddenly, it ears pricked up and it looked straight at me.

Instinctively, I went completely still, just as the mouse had, hoping for all the world that it wouldn't move. Thankfully it didn't. It seemed to be paralysed in terror.

I slowly pulled myself as close as possible so that I was within range of striking distance. Now, I had to remember the key shit on the subject of pouncing. _Be as fast as possible, _I told myself, _and use your claws instead of your fangs. Only when you've got it under your paws do you inflict the killing bite._

I tilted my head to onside at the small creature. It still hadn't moved. _What a retard,_ I thought, before leaping.

Instantaneously upon jumping, I knew I had misjudged it, and jumped a little too short. The mouse quickly shot to my right, but I reacted fast; my outstretched claws striking forward and hooking the mouse into the air. It squeaked in terror, and smoothly I rolled over so that I was standing underneath the prey's falling frame.

And wham! The mouse was in my jaws. I sank my fangs into the animal, killing it instantly, and ending whatever struggle it could have put up.

I had caught my first piece of prey!

I felt my whole body swelled up with pride like an over pumped hot air ballon, and a cocky smirk passed over the edges of my face. I couldn't believe that I had caught a mouse, which I remembered to be difficult little buggers, on my first first attempt without any training! If Whitestorm was proud of me, he didn't show it at all, and for a moment I felt uncertain. Had I done something wrong? _He'll probably be picky and criticise me on the downwind thing, _I thought.

And as predicted, as I was absolutely right. The white tom got up onto his haunches and his tail kinked low over his back. 'Very impressive,' he said, finally beginning to smile. 'You've exceeded all of my, and I'm guessing the Clan's, expectations on your first two days. Firstly, you completely out skilled one of most seasoned and formidable warriors in a one-on-one duel, where you hadn't had any training. Secondly, you used your initiative and quick thinking to outwit Longtail's jibes, and now you've caught a mouse, without any guidance from me whatsoever.'

He padded over a rested a supportive tail on my shoulder. 'You have the potential to be a fine warrior.'

My confident smirk only grew wider, and my ice blue eyes filled with a mixture of cockiness and thanks. 'Nice to know that you're expectations must've been pretty low of me if you thought I couldn't outthink Longtail.' I told him, cooly. 'He really was a stupid mouse brain.'

At this, Whitestorm chuckled. 'I see you've already learnt some Clan insults as well,' he stated, but then, his gaze turned critical. 'But don't get too pleased with yourself. That wasn't the tidiest of prey kills, and you've got to learn to stay downwind of your prey in future. We'll practise that in future.'

I dismissed this with a wave of the tail. 'I caught the prey, didn't I.' I retorted.

'You also need to learn bit of respect,' Whitestorm scolded, even if there was a note of playfulness in his voice. 'But apart from that, I think we're done for today's training.' He turned around and began padding back in the opposite direction. 'Let's head back to camp.'

I nodded and followed him, this time with a bit of swagger. I hadn't just exceeded my mentor's expectations: I had exceeded my own expectations! I followed Whitestorm back to camp feeling extremely pleased with the dead mouse climbed in my jaws.

When we got back to camp, the place was bustling. It had passed the hour of sharing tongues, but many lazed around in the clearing, dozing or simply chatting in the late afternoon sun. I half smiled, and, suddenly a feeling I couldn't describe washed over me. _Maybe I could get used to this place._

But as soon as me and Whitestorm climbed down the ravine and through the gorse tunnel, I felt many critical stares burn on my pelt. I snorted angrily. It was clear that many of the cats didn't trust me yet, but I knew I would have to be patient. _It took them a long time to warm up to Fireheart_, I pointed out, mostly to myself. But strangely enough, I could also see many excited whispers pass around the clearing- ones of gossip and rumours.

Whitestorm leaned in and whispered into my ear. 'Sounds like the way you dealt with Longtail has got around camp quickly.'

I rolled my eyes melodramatically, but nodded in agreement, before turning around to face him. 'Thanks for the training session today, Whitestorm.' I said smoothly, but thankfully.

He just dipped his head. 'It my pleasure.'

That was the last thing he said to me, before disappearing away from my side and into the sea of active ThunderClan cats. I sat down, suddenly feeling a little bit lost and insecure, but of course, I didn't let it show. Now that my mentor had left my side, I was alone, and had no idea where to sit or who to talk to.

But thankfully, a friendly mew echoed into my eardrums. 'Rookpaw!' It said. 'Over here!'

I followed the noise, and my heart skipped a beat. It was Cinderpaw! My favourite warrior was gesturing with her tail for me to come over and sit with her. Only her brother, Brackenpaw was with her, but I wasn't going to let the opportunity to try and to know my idol go to waste. Quickly, I deposited my mouse onto the fresh kill pile and then padded over to where the two apprentices were sat.

'Hi!' Cinderpaw greeted warmly. I almost smiled at the enthusiastic glow of youthful exuberance in her sky blue eyes, and Brackenpaw also gave me a hearty welcome.

'Hello,' I replied, in a voice worthy of the most advanced state of human kind… hopefully, anyway. It sounded cool to me. 'Have you had a good day?'

'Yeah, it was great thanks.' Cinderpaw replied, as I sat down next to her. She beamed happily. 'Fireheart showed me around the whole territory!' She added, before turning to her brother. 'But Greystripe took Brackenpaw around yesterday, so he got to learn how to clean out the elder's den.'

Brackenpaw flicked his tail frustratedly. 'It was disgusting. The mouse bile stank and the ticks were horrible. I hate parasites!' He shivered, and I smirked in amusement. Cinderpaw giggled. 'Hey, don't laugh at me.' Brackenpaw warned. 'You'll have to do them soon, and when you do, I'll be the one laughing.'

With all formalities out of the way, I saw an note of interest pass over Cinderpaw's gaze. 'So, what's it like being a loner?' She questioned, eagerly. Brackenpaw also leaned in 'You didn't get to answer us yesterday.'

The question put me on the spot a bit, because I didn't actually know what it was like to be a loner, so I'd have to make something up quickly. 'Well,' I improvised coolly, 'there's lot of work involved_._ You've got to hunt for yourself and fight off a lot more enemies than you have to in a Clan, because you don't get the protection of your clan-mates to help you.'

'Really?' Cinderpaw's eyes widened admiringly. I felt honoured, and encouraged.

'Yeah,' I said, before dropping my voice to a conspicuous whisper. 'When I was only seven moons old, I had to fight off a badger, all by myself.' I boasted, a little arrogantly. I had a habit of, let's say, stretching the truth.

Brackenpaw's eyes narrowed, and he clearly didn't look convinced. He wasn't the gullible sort. It looked Cinderpaw was just about to ask for more details, when suddenly, I heard a voice from behind. 'Rookpaw.'

This time, my own eyes narrowed, and quickly, the good natured tone in my voice evaporated like smoke. I recognised the voice; it was Tigerclaw, the deputy of ThunderClan.

Quickly, Brackenpaw nodded in respect to the authoritative cat, as did Cinderpaw. I did not. _He doesn't deserve respect from any cat, _I thought bitterly.

Out of the blue, Tigerclaw's ears pricked and his amber eyes filled with scorn. 'Whitestorm is right-' he growled, 'you'll need to learn a bit of respect if you're going to be a Clan cat, Rookpaw.'

I heard a shocked gasp from Cinderpaw behind me as I got my paws and slowly faced him. 'Hello, all lordly deputy Tigerclaw,' I replied, icily. 'Are you happy now?'

He stared daggers into the depths of my cold blue eyes, and for a moment, I felt vaguely intimidated. 'Watch your tongue, loner.' He spat.

I didn't saw a word, and just waited for him to speak.

He grunted. 'Bluestar wants to speak to you in her den,' he said, grudgingly, before spinning around and padding away. 'Come with me.'

The intimidation I had felt was replaced quickly with surprise at the fact that Tigerclaw had let my disrepct towards him go so easily. _He'd only insulted me! _I thought. _If other cats did that, I can guarantee they would have been lucky to get off with a scratched ear._

I turned around and gave my goodbyes to Cinderpaw and bracken paw, ignoring the amazed looks on their faces, before following Tigerclaw across the camp and towards the leader's den.

* * *

><p><strong>SHORT FIREHEART POV:<strong>

Fireheart watched warily from the fresh-kill pile as the new apprentice, Rookpaw, padded with his tail lashing from side to side with Tigerclaw. He shook his head in disbelief, as did many of the warriors around him. Runningwind's mouth had dropped open, and Greystripe's expression told it all: Fireheart was just shocked that the former loner had managed to get away with such open disregard to Tigerclaw's presence!

'Wow!' A slightly stunned voice said from behind him. It belonged to Runningwind himself. 'That Rookpaw's got some serious guts to just waltz around this place like that- and Tigerclaw just let him get away with it!'

Greystripe nodded in grave agreement, but he didn't look quite so impressed. 'Too much guts, if you ask me,' he grumbled, picking at his sparrow half heartedly. 'He looks like nothing but trouble.'

Runningwind just shrugged. 'True, but even so.' He tilted his head to onside when he looked at Fireheart. 'What do you think?'

Fireheart thought about his response carefully. He didn't really know what to say at first; he had mixed opinions on Rookpaw so far. The ginger tom hesitated. 'Well, he hasn't exactly done anything wrong yet…' He murmured. 'And besides, it's only his first day, and he's not used to the way Clans work yet. Maybe we should give him more time.'

'Bluestar shouldn't have given him any time in the first place,' a voice snapped. It was Willowpelt. Her unusual blue eyes were clouded with frustration, and her claws hooked up the soil underneath her feet. 'Everyone can see that it was the wrong decision.'

Fireheart felt strangely disheartened by the fact that Greystripe so openly agreed with senior warrior. All three of them had been on the patrol that first found Rookpaw, yet he was the only one who had second thoughts about the potential of the former loner. 'The wrong decision?' he said, raising his head defiantly to defend his leader. 'I wouldn't say it was the wrong decision: he proved his worth!'

Willowpelt nodded gravely. 'I know.' She said, darkly. 'And I'm grateful for the fact that he saved Sandpaw's life; it's honourable that he would do that without even knowing her-'

'Exactly!' Runningwind cut in, supporting Fireheart. 'I think we're all being too harsh on him so far.'

Willowpelt looked angry that she had been interrupted, but didn't answer him. 'But still, I don't feel like I can trust him. He may have proved he has the heart of a warrior, but he's also proved that he's merciless. Look at the way he handled Darkstripe! Goading him into the fight like that, and the way he beat him. He hardly broke a sweat! It seems too good to be true.'

Runningwind looked thoughtful, and Fireheart didn't answer, because deep down he knew Willowpelt was right. _He _didn't trust Rookpaw either… there just seemed to be something off about him. Something about his cool, icy, sarcastic and sometimes even snide remarks just got up Fireheart's fur. Not only that, and he knew it was churlish, but he didn't like Rookpaw's stare. It was cold and icy blue, and when he looked at you with them you felt like he was ripping you apart, layer by layer, and reading your thoughts. It was almost unsettling.

But he didn't like judging cats. He knew what it was like to be judged on your birthplace better than anyone, and he knew that the main reason ThunderClan was being unfair to him was because of prejudice towards his loner heritage. He hated that, and he wanted to give Rookpaw a chance, no mater how much he distrusted him at first sight. To him, it was morally wrong.

But his arrogance. His disrespect… how was Fireheart not meant to judge him when he kept acting like that?

Feeling confused, he got up and excused himself from his friends, before padding over into the warrior's den and settling down into his nest. He needed to rest and wipe his mind of all these troubling thoughts, even if it wasn't yet night.


End file.
